


corners

by spookykingdomstarlight



Category: Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Attraction, F/F, First Meetings, Morning After, Post-Solo: A Star Wars Story, Post-Star Wars: A New Hope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-08-20 12:30:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16555790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookykingdomstarlight/pseuds/spookykingdomstarlight
Summary: Time to quit playing. “Enfys took that hyperfuel to Saw Gerrera and his Partisans. You couldn’t have picked a more unfortunate group of Rebels to assist. And that was right when you became the leader of Crimson Dawn. I’m sure the Empire would see the distinction, accept that you’d helped them.” There were a whole lot of other words Amilyn could have used, other arguments. Clearly the Empire didn’t care what Qi’ra was doing so long as she kept helping them, too. Perhaps they were turning a blind eye. It was entirely possible and likely that they just weren’t looking too closely at what Qi’ra was doing. The Empire wanted its cake and to eat it. That meant playing ignorant about how their alliances were made and who they made those alliances with.Amilyn could use that if only Qi’ra would let her.





	corners

**Author's Note:**

  * For [saiditallbefore](https://archiveofourown.org/users/saiditallbefore/gifts).



“If you wanted my attention,” Qi’ra said, amusement giving her voice a pretty edge to it, fun and not a little intriguing, “all you had to do was ask for it.”

Amilyn’s eyes drifted to the blaster held tight in her perfectly manicured hands and decided Qi’ra wasn’t just fun, no. She was really fun. And Amilyn could be fun, too. Adopting a smile, she lifted her hands and wished she’d thought to wear something a little more impressive. Because if this was how Qi’ra dressed when confronting petty thieves—or presumed petty thieves—then there was no way she’d give the bland beige traveling gear Amilyn wore a second glance. That was too bad. Amilyn kind of wanted Qi’ra to give her a second glance. “I do want your attention,” she said, shrugging a bit. At this point, she wasn’t yet worried she’d end up with a hole where her heart should have been. Of all the terrible people who have crossed Amilyn’s path, Qi’ra was among the smartest and most even-tempered. Not that Amilyn had done a great deal of research on her, no. She had no reason to do that. Not even knowing how attractive a figure Qi’ra cut. “Who wouldn’t?”

Qi’ra rolled her eyes, languid as she paced around in front of Amilyn, ranging back and forth like a predatory cat. Her gown swept the floor, the slit high enough for Amilyn to see multiple straps and holsters where other weapons were kept safely locked away. “Flattery,” she answered. “That wasn’t what I was looking for when I pulled this blaster.”

“No,” Amilyn agreed, pleasant. She held her palms up and was perfectly willing to play meek and docile if necessary. She’d done a lot worse in the service of the Rebellion. “You want answers. I get it, but I also want to make it clear that you’re a very, hmm, a very formidable woman.” She offered Qi’ra a smile and held back a laugh at the incredulous rise of her eyebrow.

“Formidable,” she repeated, slow. “You really do think you’re going to get what you want out of me, don’t you? You might want to find a new source because you’ve been lied to.”

“I have a tendency to get what I want, it’s true.” There was little point in denying it. It had taken Qi’ra about ten more minutes to reach Amilyn than was entirely necessary. That meant she’d taken a few minutes to find out exactly who Amilyn was and what she could do. In an ideal galaxy, Amilyn would have been able to cross the stars as little more than a ghost. But in this reality, she had a past, a history, and a fairly prominent one at that.

There was also a bounty or two on her head that Qi’ra now no doubt knew about. Those kind of sucked. But that was the price of doing business. Sometimes you angered the wrong people. Mostly Amilyn avoided that; mostly, Amilyn was perfect. That time, she hadn’t been. It happened from time to time. Less and less often the more time passed, the more skilled she became. That was the important thing. So long as she was continually improving, she was okay.

The day she stopped being better at what she did than the previous day was the day she also hung up her gear and took a desk job.

“You’re not helping your case,” Qi’ra said. “What are you doing trespassing on my territory? Speak plainly or I will shoot. There aren’t many people in this galaxy I wouldn’t have done this to already. You should consider yourself lucky.”

The hell of it was, Amilyn believed her. She might buy herself some time, sure, and she didn’t think Qi’ra would shoot indiscriminately, but she believed that, if it came down to it, Qi’ra would shoot. She took one step forward, deciding that pressing her luck was worth the possibility. If she didn’t get what she needed here and now, there was no point in not risking her life a bit. If she failed, the entire Rebellion would be at risk. “I need your help.” She debated for a moment whether she should say outright who she was with. Probably Qi’ra already knew, though she’d always kept her affiliation with the Rebellion as quiet as possible. If Amilyn gave her proof that the Rebellion was why she was here, she could risk losing everything. And if she didn’t, she could risk losing everything. “The Rebellion, actually. They need your help.”

“The Rebellion?” Qi’ra’s eyes widened. She shouldn’t have been quite that surprised, Amilyn thought, and so Amilyn couldn’t figure out if it was a good thing or a bad one that she was. Eyebrows furrowing, she looked down at Amilyn’s feet and then back up to her face. “I’m afraid you may have me mistaken for a bleeding heart freedom fighter. I run Crimson Dawn. We don’t get involved with the Rebellion.”

No doubt Qi’ra was thinking of her many and varied contracts with the Empire, the ones that would be null and void if anyone ever found out she was helping the Rebellion. Leia had argued against coming to Qi’ra for that reason, but Amilyn believed that there was something of worth to be found here. She’d heard Han Solo’s tales of her, his regard; Amilyn believed in that even when Leia couldn’t. Qi’ra might well have been an enemy, but she wasn’t _the_ enemy.

And anyway, Amilyn couldn’t think of another way forward. Without Qi’ra’s help, they’d never get where they needed to go. Even Leia had finally seen reason on that front. Which was why Amilyn was here. “Perhaps not,” Amilyn replied, not worried in the slightest. Qi’ra definitely had to pretend she didn’t get involved with the Rebellion. It would be bad news for her if she was open about it. But even if she didn’t know it, she’d helped before. “But I wonder what your confederates would think if they knew you supplied Enfys Nest and others who stand with her with the hyperfuel they’ve needed to wage countless fights against the Empire, not to mention fund more—”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Qi’ra snapped. “What happened with Enfys didn’t—”

Time to quit playing. “Enfys took that hyperfuel to Saw Gerrera and his Partisans. You couldn’t have picked a more unfortunate group of Rebels to assist. And that was right when you became the leader of Crimson Dawn. Are you certain they won’t rethink your relationship with them in light of that?” There were a whole lot of other words Amilyn could have used, other arguments. Clearly the Empire didn’t care what Qi’ra was doing so long as she kept helping them. Perhaps they actually were turning a blind eye. It was entirely possible and entirely likely that they just weren’t looking too closely at what Qi’ra was doing. The Empire wanted its cake and to eat it. That meant playing ignorant about how their alliances were made and who they made those alliances with. Qi’ra might be risking little to help them.

Amilyn could use that if only Qi’ra would let her.

“That was years ago.”

“Will they see the distinction?”

Qi’ra’s eyes narrowed and she tilted her head, considering, her dark, curling hair brushing her shoulder. It made Amilyn feel a giddy rush of adrenaline. It wasn’t every day she got to threaten a crime lord and the most powerful crime syndicate in the galaxy at that. But there was something like interest in Qi’ra’s gaze, too, curiosity and something else, something more nebulous but equally interesting to Amilyn. “What is it you want, Miss Holdo?”

This was the easy part, the asking. It was everything before this that was difficult and everything that would come after whatever she agreed to. “We just want permission to use your hyperlanes,” she said, earnest, easy, like it would be the most simple thing in the world to give to the Rebellion. And it was as far as Amilyn was concerned. All it required was a single word from Qi’ra and it would be done. In a way, Amilyn envied that power. “We won’t use them often, but we need…”

“An escape route,” Qi’ra answered, because Qi’ra was smart and wiser than half the galaxy gave her credit for. Though in this, Amilyn couldn’t deny that their needs were obvious. They hadn’t yet reached a point where they could make demands or put up a decent fight. They’d won a single, grand victory, but Amilyn knew it would take more than that to defeat the Empire.

“Among other things,” Amilyn said, “yes.”

“You’ve destroyed the Death Star,” she said, ponderous. For the first time since Amilyn had been caught skulking around the bar Qi’ra sometimes frequented, Qi’ra lowered her weapon. Even with it pointed at the ground, Amilyn knew she was dangerous, could easily harm Amilyn if she had half a mind to do so. Amilyn did not feel another frisson of adrenaline at the possibility. That would have been irresponsible, of course. “What makes you think Crimson Dawn won’t be party to the Empire’s wrath if I were to do this for you?”

“The risk of being caught is small,” Amilyn said. She didn’t have to say that the risk for her was small. “As far as we can tell, you keep your space pretty well clear of Imperials. And if they did somehow find out what we were doing, they could just as easily assume we’d outsmarted your people. We don’t intend to make it obvious that we’ve got your blessing. If any of your people did manage to get a hold of us, we’d accept full responsibility for that.”

“Then why ask for permission at all? If you plan to be so circumspect about it anyway?”

Now it was Amilyn’s turn to raise her eyebrow. She let her knowledge of Qi’ra’s reputation cross her face, made her unsettled disbelief entirely obvious. Qi’ra had to know exactly why she was here to ask permission. There was no way they would cross Crimson Dawn’s territory without permission from Qi’ra herself, even if it was unofficial, even if a handshake agreement would only save them from Qi’ra’s wrath and not the wrath of her goons, too.

The goons they could handle easily, outgun or outrun. It wouldn’t have been the first time. It was definitely Qi’ra that they were worried about. What she would do to them, what she might take to the Empire if she did gt a hold of them.

“And what if I just went to the nearest Imperial right now and handed you over? I know who you are. You’re pretty important to the Rebellion as near as I can tell. You’ve definitely got some sort of power within that organization that could be used against you.”

“It’s why I’m here,” Amilyn said. “We’re serious about this. We want you to know we’re serious about it. If you feel you need to take me in…” Amilyn shrugged. At this point, she didn’t feel believe it was likely, but anything was possible. Her ability to read people was generally pretty good. And though Qi’ra was perhaps harder to read than most, she still wasn’t the worst challenge Amilyn had ever faced. “You have to do what you must, of course.”

Qi’ra swallowed and, after a brief moment, rolled her eyes and gestured lazily at the recessed table where she’d been sitting before Amilyn had found her way inside. “Have a seat,” was all she said, world weary and vaguely annoyed. Amilyn chose to take that as a good sign. It seemed probable that it was in any case. People who were planning on killing you had no reason to be annoyed by your continued existence. “I hope you’ll be able to explain yourself in such a way that I’m not tempted to shoot you in the face.”

Those were big words, violent words, and they sounded wrong coming out of her mouth.

Amilyn suspected that was the point.

She knew what she had to do, the very thing she was best at:

She spoke.

She maybe did something else, too. No reason to not take advantage of an opportunity when one was presented to her.

*

Amilyn’s fingers wound in Qi’ra’s glossy dark hair where it splayed across the bone white pillowcase that Qi’ra slept on. It was as soft and sleek as she’d expected, beautiful and precious. Qi’ra, Amilyn suspected, didn’t take enough time to allow herself to be beautiful and precious. Always she had to be hard and strong and invulnerable.

Amilyn understood. She did. She’d had to remake herself in the same way, half running from her upbringing, half because that was who she was. But she couldn’t help but feel that Qi’ra could be something special, would be, if Amilyn had her way. It wasn’t just because having an ally within Crimson Dawn would be a boon to the Rebellion, but because Amilyn simply liked Qi’ra that much. She enjoyed the contrasts and juxtapositions she presented. Not only was she sharp as a knife, but she could be as soft as a feather, as responsive as a touch-starved lothcat.

It made Amilyn’s heart ache. As Qi’ra’s eyes opened and her mouth parted to speak words Amilyn didn’t want to hear, Amilyn leaned down and kissed her, slid her hand over Qi’ra’s bare stomach and further down. The sounds Qi’ra made filled Amilyn with joy and purpose and the way she writhed gave Amilyn motivation to keep touching her and to keep teasing her.

Even if Qi’ra decided not to help the Rebellion, this night would have been worth it.

But as Qi’ra smiled up at her, relaxing back into the pillow, a satisfied expression on her face, Amilyn knew Qi’ra would help.

Good, she thought.

It would be an excellent excuse to see her again.


End file.
